Two men fish near Jimbaran.Spiritual offerings accumulate near the entrance to a small temple.Children practice hand movements at a dance class.Our new friend, Mariana, dresses me and Shawn in traditional Balinese sarongs.A Balinese spiritual offering containing flowers, incense and a cookie sits on the pavement of a Jimbaran street.

At a coffee plantation or café, savor a cup of Kopi Luwak. It’s been dubbed ‘poop coffee’ and is said to be one of the priciest cups of coffee in the world.

Take in dramatic nighttime and daytime views of the Uluwatu Temple at a kecak fire dance.

Brush shoulders with the real-life characters from Eat, Pray, Love. We chatted with the book’s charismatic medicine man Ketut Liyer one afternoon, and all the locals seem to know who in the community has a connection to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book.

Women gracefully transport baskets full of spiritual offerings on their heads.A Legong dance performance.Colorful magnets for sale at Ubud’s traditional market.Monkeying around at Ubud’s Monkey Forest.A young woman grinds Kopi Luwak (‘weasel coffee’) beans at a coffee plantation not far from Ubud.Our guesthouse owner, Ayu, showed me how to make her legendary green banana pancakes. The pancakes were so good that Ayu asked that I not share her secret recipe.The holy water spring at Goa Gajah (the Elephant Cave).

Accommodation

We spent three weeks in Bali — one in Jimbaran, and two weeks in Ubud. We would happily revisit these two properties (affiliate links):

Jimbaran – Nestled in a semi-residential area not far from the beach, we had a pleasant stay at the Villa Puri Royan. Though the rooms were not fancy, our room’s views of the neighborhood were pretty, and the staff was incredibly friendly. On days when we needed to stay inside and catch up on email, it was convenient eating in the in-house café. We were happy to have stayed in a more understated place like Jimbaran (at least circa 2011), as Kuta was a bit too hectic for our tastes.

Ubud – For two weeks, we stayed at the pretty and tranquil Nirwa Homestay, run by Madde and Ayu. The family-run guest house was surrounded by a panorama of rice paddies, and our soundtrack was that of nature: soprano crickets, confident roosters and babbling canals. When you go, be sure to order Ayu’s legendary green banana pancakes for breakfast. If she has time, Ayu might even show you how to make them!

The stunning view from the terrace of our guesthouse in Ubud.Each day, Ayu, the co-owner of our bed & breakfast, placed a fresh flower in the hands of this Buddha statue in her courtyard.